A Bay Of Blood (1971)

Here’s something for Halloween. I watched A Bay Of Blood (1971; Ecologia del delitto) for the first time (one of the many alternative titles is Twitch Of The Death Nerve – what a title!). Directed by Mario Bava, this film is considered very influential in spawning the ‘slasher’ genre with many of its ‘kills’ copied […]

Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971)

Before 2018 ended, I finished Dario Argento’s ‘animal’ trilogy with Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971). This is a giallo thriller about a drummer in a rock band (Michael Brandon) who is blackmailed by a masked stranger for an inadvertent murder he may or may not have committed against someone following him. The hero here […]

The Cat ‘O Nine Tails (1971)

Acquainting myself slowly with Dario Argento’s ‘animal’ giallo trilogy (because of the animals named in the title) and I had heard The Cat ‘O Nine Tails (1971; Il gatto a nove code) wasn’t as good as the first of the trilogy, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. This may be true, and apparently it is […]

Blood And Black Lace (1964)

Continuing the exploration of Italian director Mario Bava’s films, I watched Blood and Black Lace (1964), which really impressed upon me how creepy red mannequins are. A stylish murder mystery set in a fashion house where models are killed one by one. The use of bold colours, wind effects and shadows is pretty great, definitely […]

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970; L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo) is Dario Argento’s first film as a director and one of the first examples of the giallo genre (if the info on the back of the Blu-Ray box is correct). This was an entertaining mystery thriller with Hitchcock and Blow Up as clear […]